Introduction
To put it simply, tokenomics can be defined as the study of determining and evaluating the
economic characteristics of a cryptographic token. The goal of the analysis would be to best
understand how various incentives affect the supply and demand of a token and, ultimately, its
price. Tokenomics as a concept is somewhat of an unsung hero among successful investors in
that a good grasp of different design mechanics and the ensuing economic incentives (or
disincentives) can truly help one evaluate the potential for value accrual for a given token. In
this report, we explore both the supply and demand dynamics of tokens and deep-dive
into the many facets of token design. We believe that having a good understanding of both
supply and demand is vital when creating a sustainable crypto protocol. While the product is
always more important than the token itself, we should not underestimate the impact
tokenomics can have. Many projects have failed despite a good product (or succeeded
despite a mediocre one) due to bad (good) tokenomics.
The Basics
Before delving deeper into the topic, we should take a step back and answer the all-important
question of, why does a company even need a token in the first place?
We think the underlying motivation can be broadly divided into economic and structural
drivers. On the economic side, tokens help by raising capital for the business to grow, with
added benefits that might not be possible in other forms of capital raising. For example, a
significant advantage of token fundraising over equity raising is that it allows early
contributors/adopters to invest in the project and gain upside, whereas only accredited
investors are traditionally able to invest in equities, particularly at the initial public offering
(“IPO”) stage. This might take many years, usually far longer than it would take to create and
distribute a token. This level of inclusivity and potential for active community governance can
be an important factor for both company founders and investors alike. The potential for early
user/adopter upside is also a very advantageous tool for marketing purposes and can
perhaps be one reason why we see increasing token allocations towards early adopters (see
allocations section below). Additionally, given smart contracts allow you to program
mechanisms into tokens, we have a distinct technical advantage over traditional market
securities. This means that tokens can be more dynamic in their nature and provide more use
cases than alternative means of funding. It also means that there are a lot more variables to
investigate and pay attention to when analyzing the tokenomics of any project.
On the structural side, tokens can serve as important pillars for governance and can be
effective tools to decentralize a protocol, most commonly via a decentralized autonomous
organization (“DAO”) structure. Tokens can also ensure incentive alignment, with all parties,
including infrastructure providers, users, and the development team benefiting and being
motivated to keep growing.
Naturally, good token design is crucial to achieving the best outcomes, and poor design can be
just as detrimental to a company as can an excellent design be beneficial. Ultimately,
subsidization via a token can only happen if the token holds some value in the open market,
which in turn, can only happen if the token is effective in capturing the value generated by the
protocol itself or offers another form of utility.